


Half-Conversations

by ponderinfrustration



Category: The Saga of Darren Shan - Darren Shan
Genre: Gen, Sleeptalking, Spoilers for The Saga of Larten Crepsley
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-28
Updated: 2015-09-28
Packaged: 2018-04-23 21:25:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 430
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4892848
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ponderinfrustration/pseuds/ponderinfrustration
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Mister Crepsley sleeptalks, and it can cause quite the shock.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Half-Conversations

One of the first things Darren learns about Mister Crepsley is that the vampire tends to sleep-talk. They were holed up in a crypt when this revelation came to him. Darren had yet to adjust to the vampiric sleep schedule and so was struggling to doze off. Crepsley, though, had curled up in his cloak and dropped right off.  Darren had almost, _almost_ , followed him into slumber when a murmured, “That would please me more than anything else I can think of” jolted him back to consciousness.

Heart racing, eyes casting about wildly for the speaker, Darren found the crypt exactly as it was before – empty except for him and Mister Crepsley, the vampire now smiling softly in his sleep. “Thank you, Sylva,” he murmurs now, and all Darren can do is gape at him.

Over the ensuing nights and weeks, Darren discovers that this is a regular occurrence for his mentor. Between perfectly coherent sentences – and even in his sleep he does not slip into the use of contractions – and strings of incomprehensible French, it often seems as if the vampire talks more when asleep than awake. Before long, these half-conversations become background noise, though the odd choked cry of “Alicia!” or “Malora!” does occasionally jolt Darren back to wakefulness.

Judging from the pained way in which such names are uttered, Darren decides that he’s better off not mentioning anything about the sleep-talking to Mister Crepsley. It doesn’t bother him anyway – the separate sleeping quarters at the Cirque ensured that for years, and even travelling together to Vampire Mountain the sleep-talking is nothing when put next to Gavner’s snoring! Darren considers asking Gavner about this Alicia and Malora, but between one thing and other never gets around to it. And with so much else happening at the Mountain, the whole thing fades from his mind.

That is, it does until one day, after Darren passes his second round of Trials. Body stiff and sore, Harkat asleep in the neighbouring hammock, the whole Mountain quiet, Darren is awake to hear _“They used to call me Quicksilver_ ” coming from Mr Crepsley’s cell. At that, it all comes rushing back.

The next night, Seba stops in with some spider webs to wrap around Darren’s hands. Knowing that Mister Crepsley and Harkat are both off consulting with Paris, Darren takes his opportunity to question the aging Quartermaster.

“Aye,” Seba answers, smiling sadly. “Larten’s would not be the first story in which a vampire fell for a human.”

That is all he’ll say on the subject, and for Darren it is more than enough.


End file.
